Package-washing machine.



G. & R. C. SCHOCK..

PACKAGE WASHING MACHINE.

A'PPLICATION FILED DEC-20. 19|3.

Lla wfi Patented May'1L1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET X.

G. & R. C SCHOCK.

PACKAGEWASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEQZO, 1913. 1918993??o 11, 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES:

7H2 NaRRIS PETERS cm, WASPHNGYON, n. c.

IUED %TATE% PATENT FFICE.

GUSTAV SCHOCK AND ROBERT C. SCHOCK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PACKAGE-WASHING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1915.

Original application filed August 6, 1913, Serial No. 783,362. Divided and this application filed December To aZZ 10h am it may concern:

Be it known that we, GUs'rAv SorrooK and ROBERT 0. 550110011, both citizens of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Package-l/vashing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to package-washing-machines, and has for an object to provide improved scrubbing or brushing mechanism for automatically adjusting itself to packages of various sizes and dimensions.

In the present improvement the brushing or scrubbing platform is so constructed that it will resist the momentum of the oncoming package and bring it to a proper position relative to the brushes, which will automatically be caused to assume their brushing position by gravity. All the brushes are in the present illustration moved to the idle position positively, and each brush is independently movable to its working position, so that irrespective of the size or shape of the package, or whether or not it is properly located upon the platform, each brush will move to its work with sufficient force to effect the proper scrubbing, but will not be moved with suflicient force to fail to do its work, or that it will itself become injured by being broken or matted down. After the scrubbing is completed the brushes will be positively moved away from the package, the package will be elevated and moved from the platform.

In the drawings accompanying this specification one practicable embodiment of a form of the invention is illustrated, in which drawings:

Figure 1 is an end elevation partly in section, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section.

The scrubber illustrated is shown mounted upon the side frames 24 and has brushes for scrubbing the sides and ends of the package, the scrubbing brushes being adjustable automatically to accommodate packages of varying sizes. The scrubbing platform is composed of a plurality of rollers. In the present instance there are shown two pairs of rollers 25 for engaging the respective sides of the package. These rollers are chamfered inwardly to center the package Serial No. 807,943.

to bring it into the proper position to be acted upon. One pair of the rollers is mounted upon the driving shaft 16, the other pair is mounted upon the counter shaft 26 driven by means of a pair of gear wheels 27, 28 respectively upon the shaft 16 and 26, and connected by means of an idler 29. A driving pulley 15 is shown carried by shaft 16. The rollers 25 upon their package-receiving surface which constitutes the scrubbing platform move toward the receiving side, the object of this being that when a package is moved for instance from the soaking tank and placed upon the sloping chute 30, the package will move rapidly in the direction of the arrow 300 onto the scrubbing platform and by having the rollers move reversely of the direction of package movement, the package is easily brought to rest without any particular detents. This is particularly so with large or heavy packages.

A brush 31 is provided for the sides of the package, such brush being shown pivotally mounted upon bar 32, which moves in a guide 33 of the framework. The brush is held in its normal central position by means of a pair of leaf springs 34. Considerable play of the brush upon its pivot is permitted so that in case a barrel does not land centrally upon the scrubbing platform it will nevertheless be brushed and scrubbed sufficiently as it is rotated by means of the rotation of the rollers 25. A sector 35 is fast on a rock-shaft supported by the framework. A strap 37 passes over the curved face of the sector and is connected to bar 32 carrying the brush. The brush and its connected parts are of sufficient weight that they will fall by gravity and engage the package which is being acted upon. To adjust the force, however, with which the brush descends and engages its work, the shaft 36 is provided at its ends with outstanding arms 38 carrying adjustable weights 39. The brush is positively raised from its work by a. bar 40 which traverses an oscillatory eye 41 carried by an arm 42 fast to the rock shaft 36. The bar 40 is preferably actuated by a crank motion. The center brush 81 and the end brushes 45, presently to be described, are automatically returned in unison at timed intervals to idle position. An adjustable tappet 1A, is carried by the bar 40 for effecting this return movement by engaging a stop face 44 on the eye 41. The tappet 44 is shown held in its adjusted position on the bar 40 by a set-screw 44 A stop 44 is shown carried by the bar 40 between the cars 44 of the tappet for limiting the range of adjustment of the tappet and consequently limiting the possible amplitude of movement of the brush retracting mechanism. A set-screw 44 is shown for fixing the stop 44 in its proper position. The adjustable tappet furnishes means for adjusting the automatic mechanism which returns the brushes in unison at timed intervals to initial position, thereby determining the initial position to which such mechanism shall retract the brushes.

When small packages only are being passed through the machine the brushes need not be retracted as far as when larger packages are operated on.

When the machine is used on small packages the shorter the movement of the brushes the longer 'do the brushes remain in contact with the 'package'andthe shorter time 'are'they on their way'toward and from their work.

When the rod 40 is given an excursion andcaused to traverse the eye 41 apredetermined distance,the tappe't 44 and stop face 44 will be brought into engagement which moves the sector upwardly, thereby causing the-strap 37 to raise'thebrush. lhis'brush is thus lifted at each cycle of the machine. Upon-the release of the bar 40 the brush is free to fall by gravity and by gravity perform its work.

The fast and slow periods of crank movementareutilized for raising the brush rapidly from its-work, holding'it raised during the removal of the scrubbed package and the placing of another on the scrubbing platform and permitting it to rapidly ad vance toengage the package.

A pair of end brushes '45 is provided for engaging the ends of the package. These brushes'are caused to move toward and from the package in such direction that, irrespective of the size or diameterof the package, they will engage the package across its end in a substantially diametrical position so that the entire end of the package will be scrubbed as the package is rotated. Of course the packages of smalldiameter are generally of less length than the packages of large diameter. 'lhebrushes are caused to'move obliquely to their 'positionso that as they approach one another they move downwardly'toward the scrubbing platform.

Each of these brushes is shown pivoted to a rack bar 46 and provided with a pair of leaf springs 47 for permitting automatic adjustment to accommodate irregularities in the package or in its positioning. The connecting neck 48 between the brush and the rack bars 46 is at the proper angle so that when the rackbars are in their oblique guides 49 the brushes will assume positions upon the proper vertical plane for engaging the ends of the packages which are generally disposed upon substantially vertical planes. The guides 49 are shown provided with antifriction rollers 50 for the bars 46. A toothed sector 51 is shown engaging each of the rack bars 46; the sector is shown pivoted at 52 to the side frame of the machine. There is fast to the sector a strap 53, which is fast to the periphery of the-sector 54. Both sectors 54 are fast'upon the shaft'86 which carries the sector 35 so that the end brushes are withdrawn from the package and held at idle position as in the center brush the 'conditions which permit the center brush 31 to be returned by gravity to its work will also permit the 'end brushes to be returned by gravity to their work. The rack bar 46 is provided with a stop 55 for limiting the inward movement. During the time the brushes are at their work each brush is independent "of the others in its automaticadjustment. They are all, after their work, drawn to a predetermined, idle position, but upon release for the purpose of approaching and engaging the package they are independent "one of 'theother.

The independent gravity control of the brushes causes each brush to engage-the package with sufficient force to properly perform its work irrespective of the size of the package or its improper positionrupon the platform, and at'the same time safeguards the brushes from being matted down or broken 'by being forced too strongly against the packages.

The elevator F for raising the packages from the scrubbing platform and passing Although but one practicable embodiment of the device. is illustrated, yet. it'will be understood that the present showing is 'for the purpose of illustrating the invention, and that changes may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from i the spirit of the invention.

We claim as .our invention: 7 'ljThe combination with a'scrubb'ing platform, of a plurality of brushes 'each'mova'ble toward the working position by gravity independently of the others, automatic mechanism for returning the brushes in unison at timed intervals to initial position, said mechanism comprising means of adjustment for determining the initial position to which the said mechanism shall retract the brushes.

2. The combination with a scrubbing platform, of a plurality of brushes each movable toward the working position by gravity in dependently of the others, automatic mechanism for returning the brushes in unison at timed intervals to idle position and comprising a rock shaft, connections between the respective brushes and the rock shaft, an arm upon said rock shaft, an oscillatory eye carried by the arm, a reciprocatory bar passing through said eye, and an adjustable tappet mounted upon the bar for engaging the said arm for rocking the said rock shaft.

3. In a scrubbing machine the combination with a scrubbing platform, of a plurality of brushes each movable toward the working position by gravity independently of the others, automatic mechanism for re turning the brushes in unison at timed intervals to initial position and comprising a rock shaft, a strap associated with each brush for moving the same from working position, and a sector engaging the strap upon its periphery, said sector being mounted upon the rock shaft, an arm upon said rock shaft, an oscillatory eye carried by the arm, a reciprocatory bar traversing such eye, and an adjustable tappet mounted upon the bar for engaging the said eye for rocking the said rock shaft.

4. In a scrubbing machine, the combination with a platform, of a pair of brushes each movable toward the working position by gravity independently of the other, a rack bar associated with each brush, oblique guides for the rack bars, a sector engaging each rack bar, and automatic means for actuating the sectors in unison for drawing the brushes away from working position.

5. In a scrubbing-machine, the combination with a framework, of a platform therein comprising a series of rolls, a brush for the side of the package movable toward and from the said platform in a substantially vertical plane, a bar for guiding said brush in its movement, a strap connected to such bar, a sector engaging the strap upon its periphery, said sector being mounted upon a rock shaft, and adjustable counter weights connected to such rock shaft, 2. pair of end brushes, a rack bar connected to each of said end brushes, obliquely disposed guides at the ends of the platform for said rack bars, said guides being directed downwardly at their platform ends, a toothed sector meshing with each rack, a sector upon the rock shaft for each of said toothed sectors, and a strap running over the periphery of each of the said sectors attached to one of the toothed sectors, the construction being such that the brushes will move by gravity to their working positions and will be positively returned to idle position in unison.

6. In a scrubbing machine the combination with a platform of a pair of brushes, a rack-bar connected to each brush, oblique guides directed downwardly toward the platform for supporting the rack-bars from below, the teeth of the rack-bars being upon the upper sides thereof, a sector disposed above and engaging each rack-bar, and automatic means for rocking the sectors in unison for returning the brushes, the brushes being capable of movement away from the working position independently of each other and of the said rocking means.

In witness whereof we have hereunto signed our names in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GUSTAV SCHOCK. ROBERT C. SCHOOK.

Witnesses:

FRED WHITE, CHAS. LYNN RUSSELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

